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Winter of Whispers
Summary Background ''Krey is Weak The destruction of the forces of the House of Krey and its Banners were not so painfully felt as the poisoning of their new clutch of drakes. Without the new clutch to expand their numbers and with the death of Elyn's drake and the imprisonment of Jorrah and his own, the house was quickly attempting to bolster their reputation within the South Marches. Borath Plans Attack One house that took opportunity to seize upon this presumed weakness was the House of Borrath. Duncas Borrath was an enemy of the House of Krey but kept his temper in check so long as they had the dragons to burn his crops and starve his people. Having already been the subject of William Kreys anger a few years earlier, he was just waiting for the opportunity to crush the house of dragonriders. He needed help though. Borrath had been weakened in the dragon raids which burned about half of his fields in the autumn of 817 and was still recovering. He didn't have the economic power to go after Krey without help. So, in a secret meeting with the leader of the House of Morentelli he they planned to end Krey's rule of the south and then turn their attention to Blackwell. Aided by the House of Morentelli, the House of Borrath wanted to put Krey in its place once and for all. Morentelli had already lost men going after Blackwell but pleged to fund Borrath's advance south. Blackwell makes invitation One of the big events of the winter season was a discussion about the House of Blackwell and how they defeated both the forces of Morentelli but also how they were able to defeat the forces of Krey. Rumors flew like snow on the wind and many accused them of possessing some form of dark sorcerery which could defeat the dragons. However, since Blackwell had not made any signs of disturbing the other barons and had taken no hostle action other than the protect their own borders, many weren't sure of their intentions. 'Wessle' Invitations '' A few houses, to begin some kind of political dialog with the House of Blackwell, sent messengers and gifts for the winter celebrations. Since no one dared enter the Malwyd, many of the heralds stopped before they entered the dark forest and were in awe of the sight of Krey's destroyed camp. Because of these herald's reports back to their barons, rumors circulated that Krey was the victim of some kind of sabotage as the only thing which can burn as hot as dragon fire is that of Bale Fire and Krey controlled both. The heralds were then greeted by an envoy from the House of Blackwell who emerged from the forest as though they knew the many messengers were already on their way. They explained that the House of Blackwell was hosting a Wessle celebration later in the season and that every house was welcome to send delegates. All would be protected from any harm. The celebration, called Wessle, which is a night-long vigil to welcome all those who seek shelter against the darkness of winter, is held on the dark of the moon. The hospitality of any guest under the roof of one who hosts a Wessle celebration is guaranteed by ancient rite. None would dare violate such a covenant. ''Secret Delegation The new leader of the House of Krey, Bragor was still dealing with the death of his father, the loss of their dragons and had to preside over the execution of his sister (though she continued to claim innocense). His house was loosing power with every rumor and he was doing his best to hold things together until they could get another dragon in the air. Unfortunately, with the loss of the yearlings, he would have to wait until a new clutch could be hatched and grow to maturity which would take, at the least, three years. He ordered his forces immediately put under arms and began garrisoning them at the major points of his barony waiting for an attack. The mother of the new baron, Alessa Krey, mourned the loss of her husband and that of her daughter but, in truth, there was no love lost between them. Her husband was an overbearing beast of a man and her daughter followed right in his footsteps. Her eldest son, Bragor, was a bundle of fury and would unleash it on any who would give him the excuse. Her other child, her favorite, Jorrah Krey was being held as a ward by the Blackwells to ensure that Bragor would not try and attack them. Privately, she wondered if Blackwell was holding Jorrah to keep them from falling into all out war; a war that her family would probably not survive. So, she decided to travel to the Malwyd in secret, accepting the invitation of the House of Blacwell, so that she could see her son and ensure that he was being well treated. 'Celebration' Each guest is received with food, wine, entertainment and a small gift. For each delegation who came to the celebration they were given a quantity of Shadow Silk , announcing, essentially, that they were a source of the rare cloth where before - the only silk came from Sekket and cost nearly five times what Blackwell would charge. Those in attendance were: *House of Grellen *House of Torgus *House of Belir *House of Borrath The Houses of Morentelli, Krey and Karn were all invited though none sent delegates. None of the guests had attended an event within the Barony of the House of Blackwell before. The apparent wealth and opulance of their Barony had always been a mystery. The guests were treated well, the celebration was well received and the gift of Shadow Silk went over well. During the event, Jorrah was able to meet, secretly, with his mother who wished to keep her attendance as low-key as possible. All of her plans, however, were dashed when the emissary for the House of Borrath drew attention to her so that all could see. Quick to her aid was Crysha of House Torgus who was married to Baron Mavryn Blackwell. Baroness Chrysha welcomed the Lady Alessa (as she was no longer wife of the baron) and asked her to join she and her husband at the High Table - a possition of respect and honor at the celebration. Alessa accepted and was suspicious of the praise and offer of hospitality but then she found herself seated next to her son. The dinner was a feast for the senses. Blackwell had pulled out all of the stops to impress the other baronies and the more they praised Alessa and welcomed her to their home the more it confused every guest though none would openly ask about it. Alliances Planning the Attack'' While the houses were enjoying the hospitality of Blackwell, The Rose and the Compass were conspiring to take the Dragon. Winter was not the time for war - so it was assumed that no one would move until Road Rush in spring. When word reached the other Barons that Borrath had sent a force of ships to the White Stone Lake while everyone was hunkering in for winter, there was little anyone could do. Winterfest 820 KR The celebration of Winterfest is an annual festival in the month of Bissen on the Dark of the Moon. As the wife of the late Baron and mother to the current Baron, Alessa Belir was expected to attend the celebration in the hall but was in no mood to linger. In playing her role as 'Lady Frost' for the evening, she gave a few presents to the children of the court but it was difficult for any who were aware of their situation to feel any sense of warmth or cheer. Her son, Bragor , had even hired a troop of players to entertain the crowd after the 'traditional' part of the celebration had concluded and they were all settled down for their meal. She played her part as the hostest as duty demanded and slipped away back to her tower chamber - since her son and his wife had moved in to the Baron's quarters - as soon as she was able. The players, which were actually a group of Assassins called the Laughing Skulls, waited until they had the audience gathered and relaxed in their telling of the Tale of Old Winter before they struck. The attack came swift and cleanly. Nearly everyone in the hall was struck with crossbow bolt or blade before they could draw steel. Bragor , himself, had been struck by a bolt in the shoulder but faught his way free. Alessa, up in her tower chamber, did not hear the screams at first. It was only when two of her young nephews and their mother came running up the stairs and frantically beat upon her door for safety did she realize what had happened. There, in her lofty tower, she was safe - for the moment - but also cut off from all rescue. Any who would bring her help or aid in her escape would have to fly. Which is what her son did. Jorrah, with the aid of Marshal Blackwell, arrived moments after the alarm was sounded - landing on the roof above her chambers. It took some convincing but Jorrah was able to convince his mother to climb upon his drake with him. Marshall, seen as an enemy, had a tough time to convince Jorrah's aunt to come with him out of the window. Truth be told, he had no idea how he was going to carry three additional people with him. When the chamber door slammed with the thud of a pair of shoulders - they had run out of time and Marshall grabbed the two boys and headed for the window; knowing the mother would follow. Conjuring an Arcane shell for them to step out on - like a platform of pure blue light, he got them out of the room before the door broke open. He was able to float them down from the tower and to the shore of the Whitestone Lake but little else. There he found a boat and waited for Jorrah and his mother. The two landed near by and the two women and boys were escorted to safety the safety of the opposite shore and the town of High Cliff by Marshall while Jorrah flew on ahead to raise the alarm. By the morning, nearly all of the House of Krey had been killed - only Bragor, his wife, and a few others had made it out and across the lake. Jorrah went back after his mother was safe and he and Marshall aided in Bragor's escape - much to the confusion of the new Baron. Once the immediate danger had been addressed and they could see ships arriving with nearly a hundred men from the House of Borrath to hold the city - they would have to plan their next move carefully. Jorrah said his good byes to his mother and family - even to his Brother, and returned with Marshall to the Malwyd. He had made a vow not to try and escape and he was duty-bound to uphold it. Bragor demanded that he stay and help him drive them out of their home but Jorrah, and his mother both agreed that it would take more than one dragon to fix their problems. She would contact her father's family, the House of Belir , for assistance. Category:Event Category:820 KR Category:Blackwell Category:Krey Category:Morentelli Category:South Marches Category:Kargoth Category:Borrath